1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing an article having an elastic member, such as a sanitary napkin, a disposable diaper, and a disposable pants-type diaper.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a disposable worn article, an elastic member is placed on the sheet surface to form gathers so that the article fits to various parts of the body of the wearer. The elastic member is preferably placed on the sheet surface at as uniform an extension as possible. The extension being significantly non-uniform may result in poor wearability and leakage of bodily fluids.
Conventional apparatuses and methods for producing a worn article fail to ensure a uniformity of the extension of the elastic member (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-197498, and Japanese National Phase PCT Laid-Open Publication Nos. 8-511707, 11-503060 and 11-504228).